In the 1950s, he moved to Bloomfield, Iowa, where he joined his brother George in the clothing business.

[3] Kyl ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1958, losing to Steven V. Carter.

He continued to serve as the representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district for two additional terms, but was defeated in the 1964 United States House of Representatives elections, in which Democrats gained 36 seats in the House.

Reapportionment after the 1970 census put him into the same district as incumbent Democrat Neal Edward Smith, who defeated him in the 1972 election.

From 1973 to 1977, he served as Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs in the United States Department of the Interior.